The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
by Rosa Le Barge
Summary: And slowly, over the slow passing of years, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was no more. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me


Screams of despair echoed the Azkaban walls as Bellatrix Lestrange fought back a shiver. She was not a coward! She was a death eater; the Dark Lord's most faithful for Salazar's Sake!

She had been stuck in Azkaban for fourteen years, yet she could never seem to get used to the dreariness of the place. There wasn't even an ounce of happiness in the air, and Bellatrix was starting to lose hope.

She used to have faith that her master would break her out of Azkaban and set her free, but now she wasn't so sure._ She knew her master was out there, but why didn't he come for her yet? Didn't she prove to him that she was his most loyal and faithful?_ This question haunted her every minute of every hour of every day since she found out about her master's rebirth. That, along with many other horrible memories that she fought with all her might not to relive. But, her efforts were fruitless.

They always were.

In her mind, she saw Narcissa's tear filled eyes pleading her not to leave her. She saw Andromeda's name burnt off the family tapestry. She saw Sirius's retreating figure, leaving the Noble and Most Ancient house of Black forever. She saw Regalus disobeying her beloved master, and getting tortured for his mistake. She saw her merciless father arranging her marriage and binding her to Rodolphus Lestrange forever.

She bit back a scream as all her worst memories came back to haunt her, to taunt her. And as she curled up into to stop herself from screaming out like a common Mud-blood, she felt the last of her hope fade away. And for the first time in her life, Bellatrix Lestrange was,

Scared.

"_I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."_

_______________

As Sirius Orion Black paced back and forth in his wretched family home, he kicked everything and sight to the floor.

He hated this place from the bottom of his heart. The only thing he hated more than his family and their home was the fact that he was stuck in this place. He felt like an animal trapped in a cage, not being able to escape. This place was almost as bad as Azkaban. It was cold, dark, and dreary and brought back all his bad memories.

He saw himself getting cursed at by his father for getting sorted into Gryffindor. He saw his uncle and mother yelling at him for disgracing the family name by hanging out with mud-bloods. He saw his Aunt Durella sneering at him for his choice in muggle clothing. He saw Andromeda running away, leaving him alone with this family. He saw Bellatrix and Narcissa yelling at him calling him a blood traitor. He saw James and Lily's dead, cold bodies in the rubble that was left of their home. He saw the accusing look Remus gave him for believing it was he, who betrayed the Potters. He remembered his icy cell in Azkaban. He saw himself running away from his bloody family only to find himself stuck in this damn house again.

He felt himself start to suffocate, and took in deep gulps of air. He wished for fresh air as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. And for the first time in his life, Sirius Orion Black was completely and utterly,

Useless.

"_The foulest type of despair is feeling useless"_

_______________

Narcissa Malfoy was barely holding back tears. Everything was lost. Nothing mattered any more. Not when her son, her only son, was being forced to do the Dark Lord's bidding because of her husband's mistake. He was just a boy for Salazar's Sake!

She was going to lose another loved one because of this wretched cause. She hated this feeling of despair that was quickly filling her up. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry her heart out.

She saw Andromeda turning her back on her, and abandoning her because she wanted to marry a mud-blood. She saw an Auror kill her father for believing her was a death eater, when in fact, he was not. She saw her mother growing ill with grief over their father's death and dying too. She saw her Bella get dragged away by dementors and to her cell in Azkaban, never to be heard from for 14 years. She saw Sirius following her traitor of a sister's footsteps, and abandoning her, leaving her to cry her heart out. She saw little Reggie screaming in agony for disobeying the Dark Lord. She saw her husband, who promised her he'd never leave her, get forced away from her by the dementors and to the same fate as her sister.

And now, as she stood in the dark graveyard, only the faint glow of green lighting it, watching the only precious thing left her, have his future sealed away; she knew she had lost all her family. And she, Narcissa Malfoy, finally knew what it meant to be,

Lonely.

"_When we truly realize that we are all alone is when we need others the most"_

_______________

Regalus Black stared in shock as his beloved house elf told him what his once cherished master had put him through. He just couldn't believe his ears. The man he used to look up to used his favorite house elf so cruelly and evilly. What was it with people letting him down?

He looked at the family tapestry and counted down the names. First, it was his cousin Andromeda. She ran away from the family and left him to the face the snide remarks of Bellatrix and Narcissa alone. Then, it was his father, who he used to admire, but he just sold his soul to the Dark Lord without even consulting him. Not that he wasn't happy with his father's decision, because he loved supporting the cause in his own way, but he faced hours and days of agony because of his father. His cousins let him down every time they mocked him for his softness, and his weaknesses.

But, the betrayal that hurt him the most was his older brother's, his role model, had left him without a goodbye or even a second glance back. He hated his brother at first for deserting the cause, but now, now he knew his brother was right.  
So, turning back to Kreacher, he thought of what his brother would have done in a situation like this, and the answer came up almost immediately. He looked at the burnt circle that once represented Sirius and traced it with his finger as he felt his resolve hardening. He knew what he would have to do.

And as he too turned his back on The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, he smiled and felt a foreign emotion take him over. For the first time in his life, he, Regalus Black, felt,

Brave.

"_The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."_

______________

Andromeda Tonks had grieved over the loss of her family for a while. She had cried and wished nothing more than to go back to them. But, as she watched them all rot and fall to their doom, she no longer grieved for them. For they were all evil. Even Sirius. And as she looked down at her seven year old daughter, and her chuckling husband, she wanted nothing more than to forget she was ever a member of the Black family. Her parents were dead, her older sister and cousin were in Azkaban, her baby cousin was dead, and her baby sister was living on the down low with her snake of a husband. But, she pushed down all thought of her wretched family as her little daughter called for her.

And as she looked down at her real family, she felt the complete opposite of all her Black family members. For she, Andromeda Tonks, was

Happy.

"_Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."_

_______________

And slowly, over the slow passing of years, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was no more.

"_Life lives, life dies. Life laughs, life cries. Life gives up and life tries. But life looks different through everyone's eyes."_

**Thanks for reading. Review please! **


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